Table 2 -
MEPS
Adult Population (Age 19-64)
Calendar Year 2004 - Uninsured Point in Time

Characteristic

Population
(Millions)

Distribution
of Population

Uninsured
(Millions)

Distribution
of Uninsured

Uninsured
Rate

TOTAL

177.2

100.0%

39.5

100.0%

22.3%

GENDER

Men

87.3

49.3%

22.1

56.1%

25.4%

Women

89.9

50.7%

17.3

43.9%

19.3%

AGE

ADULTS age 19-64

177.2

100.0%

39.5

100.0%

22.3%

0.0%

0.0%

Age 19-24

23.7

13.4%

8.5

21.5%

35.9%

Age 25-34

40.1

22.6%

10.9

27.5%

27.1%

Age 35-54

84.1

47.5%

15.5

39.3%

18.4%

Age 55-64

29.2

16.5%

4.6

11.6%

15.7%

RACE

White*

143.1

80.8%

30.7

77.8%

21.4%

Black*

21.3

12.0%

6.0

15.3%

28.3%

Asian/Pacific Islander

8.8

5.0%

1.6

4.1%

18.2%

American Indian/Alaskan
Native

1.3

0.8%

0.5

1.2%

34.0%

Multiracial

2.6

1.5%

0.7

1.7%

25.7%

HISPANIC
ORIGIN

Hispanic

24.2

13.7%

10.8

27.4%

44.6%

Not
Hispanic

152.9

86.3%

28.6

72.6%

18.7%

EDUCATION

Less than HS

24.1

13.6%

10.7

27.2%

44.6%

HS only

60.2

34.0%

15.2

38.6%

25.3%

Some post-HS

31.3

17.6%

6.3

16.1%

20.3%

4-year college
degree or more

61.2

34.5%

7.0

17.7%

11.4%

Unknown

0.5

0.3%

0.2

0.5%

35.2%

INDIVIDUAL WORK
STATUS (Annual)

Full time

97.0

54.7%

14.9

37.7%

15.3%

Part time

21.3

12.0%

5.8

14.8%

27.4%

Self Employed

17.1

9.7%

5.6

14.2%

32.7%

Did Not Work

41.4

23.4%

12.9

32.7%

31.1%

Unknown

0.4

0.2%

0.3

0.7%

67.3%

FAMILY
WORK STATUS

2
or more full time

45.3

25.6%

6.3

16.0%

13.9%

Only
1 full time

84.7

47.8%

16.1

40.7%

19.0%

Only
part time

15.4

8.7%

4.8

12.2%

31.3%

Only
self employed

12.3

6.9%

5.0

12.7%

40.8%

No
Workers

19.6

11.0%

7.3

18.4%

37.2%

WAGE/SALARY
FOR PRIMARY EARNERS

No
wage earner

31.9

18.0%

12.3

31.2%

38.7%

Under
$7/hour

7.4

4.2%

3.4

8.5%

45.5%

$7-$15/hour

52.5

29.7%

15.8

40.2%

30.2%

$15-$25/hour

44.5

25.1%

5.6

14.2%

12.6%

More
than $25/hour

40.9

23.1%

2.3

5.9%

5.7%

FAMILY
COMPOSITION

WITH
CHILDREN

81.1

45.8%

17.3

43.8%

21.3%

1
Adult

11.8

6.7%

3.0

7.7%

25.6%

2
Married adults

56.7

32.0%

10.1

25.6%

17.9%

Other

12.7

7.2%

4.2

10.5%

32.7%

WITHOUT
CHILDREN (All)

96.1

54.2%

22.2

56.2%

23.1%

1
Adult

34.6

19.5%

9.4

23.9%

27.3%

2
Married adults

45.3

25.6%

6.4

16.2%

14.1%

Other

16.2

9.1%

6.3

16.1%

39.2%

INCOME
(poverty level)

0
- 100% FPL

19.4

10.9%

9.0

22.7%

46.3%

100
- 200 % FPL

27.2

15.4%

11.2

28.4%

41.2%

200
- 400% FPL

56.0

31.6%

12.5

31.7%

22.3%

More
than 400% FPL

74.5

42.1%

6.8

17.1%

9.1%

*Includes
both Hispanic and Non Hispanic

These estimates
are based on ERIU tabulations
of 2004 Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey (MEPS) data collected
by the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The MEPS employs an overlapping
panel design and collects data
on two calendar years for each
respondent. The tabulations
reported here are based on
responses to interview Rounds
3, 4, and 5 of Panel 8 and
Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel
9, which cover calendar year
2004 for both panels. Coverage
status is obtained at the initial
interview. At each subsequent
interview, respondents are
asked about whether their coverage
has changed since the last
interview and, if so, how and
when. Respondents report whether
they were covered by any public
or private source of health
insurance (Medicare, Medicaid,
SCHIP, TRICARE/CHAMPUS, other
public coverage, employment-based
private, other private health
insurance). Respondents are
considered uninsured if they
respond “no” to
all of the coverage options;
they are not asked directly
if they are uninsured. A person
may gain or lose coverage during
a year and these data permit
estimates of the number lacking
coverage at a particular point
in time, at some time during
the year, and throughout the
entire year. We label those
who are without health insurance
for the entire year as “all-year
uninsured,” and those
without health insurance for
at least one month and up to
twelve months as “ever
uninsured.” The “point-in-time
uninsured” estimates
include those without coverage
in the first round of the calendar
year (Round 3 for those who entered the survey in 2003 and Round 1 for those who
entered the survey in 2004).